A Different Final Fantasy VII
by Light-Eco-Sage
Summary: My own version of Final Fantasy VII! If I were in charge of the story line, friendship would be stronger than a certain SOLDIER's 'mommy issues'. Rated for language, violence, and romance. Pre-Nibelheim thu FFVII. Full-sized summary inside. Ch. 5 up!
1. Nibelheim

**A Different Final Fantasy VII**

**By Light-Eco-Sage**

**Rated: Mature for language, violence, romance (ZackxAerith and CloudxTifa), but mostly safety, cause I don't know how far the romance will go yet… LOL! May be rated for sexuality later on…**

**Summary: If I were in charge of Final Fantasy VII's storyline (which I'm not), friendship would be stronger than mommy-issues. Pre-Nibelheim through FFVII.**

**Disclaimer: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII are owned by the amazing people at SquareEnix, who remain one of the best game-makers in the world. Hearts to everyone who made Final Fantasy VII what it is!**

**LES: All of Pre-Nibelheim will be a mixture of what was revealed in the original Final Fantasy VII, and what was revealed in Crisis Core. But mostly Crisis Core, because Zack's experience in Nibelheim is much more detailed than Cloud's story. Also will be adding a few made-up details, which I hope aren't too… non-canon. Go a little easy in the reviews: this is my first full-sized Final Fantasy VII story.**

**Chapter I: Nibelheim**

The small transport bounced down the road, which was okay for everyone in the Shinra truck, except one.

Cloud, the young infantryman, was leaning against the inside of the truck. He had his helmet off in case he got violently sick; which could happen at any moment judging by how loudly he was groaning.

A young man sat across the way, watching the groaning man with some amusement in his sky-blue eyes. He was a handsome young man with black spiky hair and a thin cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. Zack Fair, who was slightly older than Cloud, was already a member of the elite SOLDIER First-Class. He laughed at his friend. "Hey, Cloud, when you get sick, just make sure you do it out the window." He said.

Cloud glanced around at Zack with a weak smile. And then he visibly retched, glanced at the other SOLDIER First-Class in the truck, and returned to clutching the wall for support.

The other SOLDIER sighed. "What's wrong with him?" The SOLDIER was, in fact, the Great Hero Sephiroth. Sephiroth was probably the most well-known SOLDIER. He was a War-Hero from the Wutai war, and had literally become the face of Shinra. And a face it was… he had waist-length silver hair that seemed to defy all hair-related physics. He had green eyes that seemed to glow. In fact, they were glowing… glowing with Mako energy. It was a trademark of SOLDIER operatives. Zack's eyes also glowed, but blue.

"Ah, go easy on him, Seph." Zack laughed. "He's just embarrassed he's got motion sickness in front of the Great Hero, Sephiroth!"

"Hmph!" Sephiroth snorted. "Great Hero, indeed. A great hero who couldn't even save his friends."

"Seph…" Zack sighed. "Genesis and Angeal made their choice."

"Yes… you're right, Zack." Sephiroth sighed once again. "There was nothing… anyone could have done."

The group fell silent, except for Cloud's groans of discomfort. Zack began to drum his fingers on his knee.

Sephiroth smirked a little at seeing this. "The Return of Zack the Puppy."

"Hey! Don't call me that, or I'll call you Sephy!" Zack shot back.

Sephiroth gave Zack a playful look. The look might have been playful in nature, but it still sent the message 'call me that again, and you'll die.' "Infantryman, can you listen to me?" He asked Cloud, who now looked a little green.

Cloud wordlessly nodded, afraid to open his mouth under any circumstances.

"Very good, then. As you know, our assignment is to investigate the Mako Reactor on Mt. Nibel. A malfunction, most likely a Mako leak, has caused monsters in the area to rampage. We are to investigate the Reactor, fix the problem, and destroy the extra monsters in the area." Sephiroth glanced at Zack. "Zack, you take it from here. I'll go see how far to Nibelheim." With that, Sephiroth moved to the front of the truck with the driver.

Zack sighed. "So, here's how we'll break it down. You." He pointed at the still-helmeted infantryman. "You'll guard the entrance of the village while we go up to the Reactor." The infantryman saluted. "Cloud…" He glanced at his friend. "Since you're a local, you'll come with us to the Mako Reactor."

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know the way that well." He groaned.

"No worries. Seph hired us a guide to the Reactor. Girl by the name of Tifa." Zack said.

Cloud looked around suddenly. "Tifa?!" He gasped, shocked.

"Yeah. You know her?" Zack asked.

Cloud blushed slightly. "Yeah. A little bit."

"Oh!" Zack gasped. He couldn't resist this opening to tease the young blonde. "Childhood crush, huh?"

"No! It's not like…" Cloud trailed off, turning dangerously green.

"The window!" Zack spat, recognizing the coming sickness. Cloud quickly opened up a window and vomited along the side of the room. "So… a little anxious to see your Tifa?" Cloud didn't answer Zack's question, since he was a little busy empting his stomach on the side of the road. "Hey, don't answer. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've got a girl myself back in Midgar waiting for me…"

Zack's rant was cut short by Sephiroth reentering and reclaiming his seat. "An hour until Nibelheim. At least then we'll be free from witnessing the unpleasant sight of your friend's motion sickness."

"Okay…" Zack laughed, trying to turn the attention away from Cloud for his friend's sake. "Is everyone clear on their orders?"

"Yes, sir!" The helmeted infantryman said swiftly. Cloud managed a weak thumbs up.

"Don't worry, Cloud. Once we get to Nibelheim, I'm sure your mommy will be about to make you all better." Zack laughed. Even Sephiroth smirked in amusement at Zack's comment.

Cloud slid to the floor with his head on his knees to help with his nausea. "Shut up, Zack." He managed to say.

Zack did shut up about Cloud seeing his mother, but he was a little envious of the blonde. He may have joked about Cloud seeing his mother in Nibelheim, but Zack secretly would have loved to get assigned to the Reactor in Gongaga. Had it really been five years since he last saw his own parents?

He had been so eager to leave home and join the ranks of Shinra's SOLDIER that he didn't realize how much he would honestly miss his parents.

_Oh well… maybe after we get done in Nibelheim, I could ask Sephiroth if I could make a quick detour to Gongaga._ Zack thought to himself. Content with this thought, Zack settled back with his eyes closed to enjoy the rest of the ride.

* * *

An hour later, the Shinra truck stopped on the outskirts of Nibelheim. As the truck stopped, the back door opened and Cloud was the first one out. He rushed to some bushes and lost the rest of his breakfast.

Zack was close behind. "Man, Cloud, you are going to be one happy camper when they come up with a cure for motion sickness."

The second Shinra trooper and Sephiroth came out next. "We wait until he's done." Sephiroth said. "It's bad for Shinra's image to enter Nibelheim like this."

After several seconds, Cloud straightened up. "I'm better." He said. "I'm just glad to be out of that truck."

"Good. We can't let ourselves become distracted from the mission." Sephiroth paused. "Cloud, right? You're from Nibelheim?"

"Yes, sir." Cloud answered.

"So, how does it feel… coming home after all these years?" Sephiroth asked, but Cloud didn't answer. "You see, I wouldn't know. I don't remember my hometown."

"What about your parents?" Zack asked. "You have to remember them."

Sephiroth sighed. "My mother's name was Jenova. She died shortly after she gave birth to me. And my father… well, my father…" He didn't finish his sentence, but laughed in an embarrassed sort of way. "Why am I even talking about this?"

With that, they took off towards the town of Nibelheim. Sephiroth out in front, followed by Cloud and the other infantryman, with Zack bringing up the rear.

Nibelheim came into view. Like most villages outside of Midgar, Nibelheim was very small with perhaps only a few hundred residents. Mako Reactors were always built around cities with few residents. This was because if something went wrong, casualties would be at a minimum.

A young girl stood at the entrance of Nibelheim. She had her back turned to them, revealing long black hair and an outfit that made it seem like she had walked out of an old western movie.

Cloud stopped in his tracks, and then turned around and put his helmet on. Once his face was hidden, he resumed his walk towards Nibelheim. Zack caught up with him. "I'm sensing some issues here." Cloud didn't answer.

Sephiroth moved towards the girl. "Are you Tifa Lockhart, our guide?" He asked.

The girl looked around and smiled brightly. "Yes, I am. General Sephiroth, right?" Sephiroth nodded. "Welcome to Nibelheim."

Zack studied her up and down. If she was, as he suspected, Cloud's childhood crush, he certainly knew how to pick em. Tifa had deep brown eyes 

that were at once playful and reserved. She was built like a fighter, the type of girl who would kick a guy in the crotch if he got too forward for her liking. And, to top it off, she had a great rack!

Zack quickly stopped the thought. Old habits die hard. Number one: he already had a girl. Number two: he didn't need to go stealing girls from his friends. Self-proclaimed womanizer or not, he would not stoop so low.

Zack glanced at Cloud, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking because of the Shinra army mask. But his body language spoke of an inner conflict.

Zack abruptly returned his attention to the conversation at hand when Sephiroth mentioned his name as an introduction.

"… and this is my fellow SOLDIER First-Class, Zack Fair." Sephiroth said, gesturing in Zack's direction.

"Nice to meet you, Tifa." Zack moved forward and shook her hand.

She stared at him, curious. "First-Class, huh?" She asked, turning her attention back to Sephiroth. "Are we in trouble here? What with Shinra sending two First-Class SOLDIERs?"

"It's just a precaution." Sephiroth said. "The Reactor on Mt. Nibel is the most productive Mako Reactor outside of Midgar."

"Well… if you're looking to go to the Reactor, you hired the right person." Tifa said proudly. "No one knows the mountain better than me!"

"Good. But we won't have to leave until tomorrow." Sephiroth said, beginning to head toward the inn. "Oh." He turned back to the group. "If you wish, you have permission to… mingle with the locals."

_So… Sephiroth senses the issues too._ Zack thought to himself. Cloud, never-the-less, gave a quick salute to the general with is infantryman companion.

Zack began to follow Sephiroth. "There's no need for all of us to keep watch at once. You." He pointed to the other infantryman. "First watch."

"Yes, sir." The infantryman saluted.

"Uh…" Tifa began, approaching him. "Zack, right?"

"Yes. Do you want something?" Zack looked around at her.

"Um… are there a lot of people in SOLDIER First-Class?" She asked.

"No. First-Class is a small, elite group." Zack said.

"Oh… do you know someone in SOLDIER named…" Tifa trailed off awkwardly. "Never mind… it's not important." With that, she walked away.

Zack stared at her retreating back, confused. "That was weird." He breathed to himself. He noticed as Cloud entered the inn, and he quickly followed him.

The inn-keeper looked up from his desk. "Shinra, right? Shinra's completely booked out the inn; use any room you'd like."

Zack thanked the inn-keeper and moved up the stairs to the second floor where the rooms where.

He ran into Sephiroth on the landing. The SOLDIER general stood at the window, staring out at the landscape. "Seph, what's up?" Zack asked, moving over to him.

Sephiroth sighed. "It's just… this landscape… I know I've seen it before." He trailed off, and then moved on to a different subject. "That infantryman, Cloud, already took room four. Take your pick from the rest."

"What about you?" Zack asked.

"I'll sleep later." Sephiroth said. "I'll take the second watch."

Zack nodded. He motioned that he was claiming room two. Sephiroth nodded, and then turned back to the window.

But, instead of going into room two, he went into room four. Cloud had his helmet off now, and was sitting on the bed, staring forlornly out the window. "So, Cloud…" Zack began and Cloud looked up. "What's with you and Tifa? I've never seen you so shy… not even around Sephiroth."

Cloud sighed. "I can't face her."

"What's wrong? Acted a little too forward last time you saw her?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nothing like that. Tifa's family is the richest in Nibelheim. And… after my father died… my mother and I just had enough to live on. She didn't pay me much attention as children, but still… she fascinated me. The only real conversation that I ever had with her happened before I left for Midgar." Cloud trailed off.

"Yeah?" Zack urged him to continue.

"I guess it was a last-ditch effort to get her to notice me." Cloud said. "I told her about my plans to go to Midgar. I told her that I was going to join SOLDIER and become a hero, just like Sephiroth. Then she made me promise…" Cloud paused again. "I promised her that if I made First-Class, and she ever got in trouble, I would save her."

Zack laughed. "Nothing like the old damsel-in-distress act for winning fair lady's heart."

"But… I'm not in SOLDIER, and I'm definitely not First-Class." Cloud sighed. "I'm a lowly infantryman." He gestured towards his uniform, a mark of his very low rank in the Shinra army. "I can't face her like this."

"Hey, cheer up, Chocobo Head." Zack laughed when Cloud glared at him. "You don't need to be in SOLDIER to impress the ladies!"

"Easy for you to say, Zack." Cloud snorted. "You are SOLDIER First-Class."

"And my girl probably wouldn't give a damn if I were in SOLDIER or not." Zack said.

Cloud smirked. "You talk about this girl a lot, but I've yet to hear _anything_ about her."

Zack grinned back. "Okay, cause I'm not ashamed of my feelings. Her name's Aerith and she's a flower girl down in the slums."

"A flower girl?" Cloud repeated, trying to repress a snort of laughter.

"Laugh all you want, buddy. If you saw her, you'd be singing a different tune." Zack said.

"That beautiful?" Cloud asked.

"That beautiful." Zack confirmed. "She's on the modest side. Normally… that would be a bit of a turn-off, but Aerith… she's worth working for."

Cloud laughed. "I didn't know you were quite so poetic!"

Zack grinned and playfully shoved Cloud's shoulder. "Better get some shut-eye. You're getting the third watch, if you don't mind, Lover-boy."

"Lover-boy!" Cloud protested indignantly. That was even worse than 'Chocobo Head'! At least that one was a little true! Zack ignored Cloud's protest and walked out.

* * *

**LES: I don't know how often I can stress that I don't like Yaoi. That means that there will be no ZackxCloud, ZackxSephiroth, or CloudxSephiroth. Why? Cause I'm a fan of manly friendships. Just guys having fun. That's the best. You hear me?! Man-friendship only! If you absolutely hate the notion of these characters NOT loving each other, this is your chance to click off this story and not read it. You have been warned.**


	2. The Mako Reactor

**LES: The Mako Reactor! Genesis included! Yea-ness!!**

**Chapter II: The Mako Reactor**

Zack had the last watch of the night, so he was already awake when Sephiroth, Cloud, and the other infantryman came out of the inn. "Zack." Sephiroth called. The black-haired SOLDIER and the second infantryman switched places. "Are you ready?"

"Of course." Zack answered.

"Good. We'll leave as soon as our guide gets here." Sephiroth said.

"I'm here." Tifa said, walking up. "You guys will keep me safe from the monsters, right?"

"Of course." Zack said. "No harm will befall you, I promise."

"Shall we go then?" Sephiroth asked, but a small voice hailed him.

"Err… General Sephiroth?" It was a local holding a camera. "I was wondering if I could take a picture. As a memento of your visit to Nibelheim."

Sephiroth sighed. "Very well." The man grinned brightly, looking less nervous. Zack walked over next to Sephiroth and stood next to him.

"Don't forget me." He said. "Seph ain't the only First-Class around here."

"And you too, young Tifa." The cameraman said. "Then you can prove that you met the great Sephiroth." Tifa smiled and stood between Zack and Sephiroth. The man aimed the camera briefly, and then took a quick shot. "Perfect." He said, and then he disappeared.

"Now… let's go." Sephiroth said, drawing the sword Masamune, which was as famous as its owner. It was much thinner than Zack's Buster Sword, but a lot longer, and just as strong. Zack had witnessed that blade cut through solid steel like a hot knife through butter.

"Yes." Zack agreed, drawing the Buster Sword from its place on his back.

"That way." Tifa said, pointing. "The path by the Shinra Manor." She led them towards the path into the mountains by the Manor.

The path was short, but very twisted. It soon became apparent to Zack that, without Tifa, they would have gotten hopelessly lost. But Tifa did appear to know the way quite well and led them surely.

With Tifa's guidance, and Sephiroth's, Zack's, and Cloud's combined combat experience, they made it to the Reactor with little trouble. The only exception was the cameraman, who tagged along, and seemed hell-bent on getting a picture of Sephiroth in action. Zack had to send him back to the village with orders to get in his house and stay there.

The Mt. Nibel Reactor came into view. Like most reactors, the structure had a green Mako-drenched aura, but the green color was more vivid than normal. "Seems like the Mako is leaking." Zack commented. He could literally sense the Mako-soaked air. Mako-infused SOLDIERs always got an energy boost from the presence of Mako.

"A Mako leak is a simple fix." Sephiroth said, moving forward. "What worries me is the fact that every reactor on Gaia developed the same problem at the same time. The odds of that are… astronomical… to say the least."

Zack blinked in shock. He hadn't thought of it like that. "Seph, that's why you're the General." He said.

Sephiroth smirked. "Come, Zack."

Zack began to follow Sephiroth when Tifa stepped forward. "Can't I come in?" She asked. "I've never…"

"No!" Bot Sephiroth and Zack said, albeit Sephiroth was harsher than Zack. Tifa took a step back from Sephiroth, staring at him with a look of fear.

Sephiroth sighed, realizing that this girl was not in the military, and was not used to the General's manner of dealing with people. For his whole life, he had lived inside Shinra and was used to the military's harshness. He often forgot that most people did not share his tortured live-or-die upbringing. He glanced at Zack, a much gentler person, and motioned for him to explain.

Zack took a step towards Tifa. "Reactors like this one are full of Shinra's industrial secrets. Only Shinra's scientists, SOLDIERs, the Turks, and certain other personnel are allowed inside." He glanced at Cloud. "You. Keep the lady safe." He sent a small wink in his direction that only Cloud noticed. Cloud smirked slightly and saluted.

Sephiroth was already well up the stairs that led to the reactor's entrance. An iris scan discretely scanned the Mako-infused eyes of the approaching SOLDIERs.

"SOLDIER General First-Class Sephiroth… SOLDIER First-Class Zack Fair… access granted." A monotone computer voice spoke. The air-lock door opened automatically for them.

Down at the foot of the stairs, Tifa tried to follow them, but the helmeted Cloud stopped her advance, held out his hand in the universal sign of 'stop' and shook his head.

Tifa glared at him, incapable of recognizing him with his Shinra mask, and stomped a short distance away, presumably to sulk.

The reactor's entrance closed after Sephiroth and Zack.

* * *

Sephiroth and Zack moved quickly through the Reactor, having been inside Reactors before. "Do you feel the Mako, Zack?" Sephiroth asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Zack said. "But it's much stronger than the Mako-infused air of other reactors. It's like having a high."

"Yes." Sephiroth said. "It could just be the leak… or it could be something else entirely. Be sure to keep your head about you. It wouldn't do to have First-Class SOLDIERs like us going into a Mako Frenzy."

Zack was familiar with 'Mako Frenzy'. All SOLDIERs were. It was the term given to the high-like crazy period that SOLDIER recruits experience the first few times they are exposed to Mako. It was marked by an over-abundance of energy, random destruction of inanimate objects, insanity, and (strangely) a sudden, violent increase in libido.

As mentioned, this only happened to new SOLDIER recruits during their first few Mako treatments. After a few treatments, the recruit's body got used to the Mako and the side-effects slowly stopped. For experienced First-Class SOLDIERs to fall prey to something like Mako Frenzy would have been highly embarrassing. It would have been the hot topic on the SOLDIER floor for an unholy amount of time.

Zack's own Mako Frenzies had consisted of general bouncing-off-the-walls behavior and an increase of sexual behavior. Pretty standard.

Sephiroth, on the other hand, could never confess of having a Mako Frenzy. No matter how much Mako that sadistic excuse for a scientist, Hojo, pumped into his body, his cells readily accepted it without any side-effects.

Zack laughed. "Don't worry, Oh Fearless Leader, the Mako Frenzy days are long behind me."

"Good. Because the last thing I need right now is for you to mistake me for a woman and try to hit on me again." Sephiroth said.

Zack blushed. "That was one time!" Back when Zack had first joined, his unit had been inspected by the SOLDIER General. Zack had been in the throes of a Mako Frenzy, saw the General from behind, and assumed he was a woman because of his long hair. Before he could even think of stopping himself, he had commented (loudly) on the "sweet-lookin ass on the silver-haired chick" and an innuendo on how much he wanted to bang her (him). Needless to say, Sephiroth had not been amused. "I couldn't help it, Seph!" Zack said. "You've got to admit that your long hair makes you look like a woman!"

Sephiroth glared back at Zack. "The sacrifices I make for Midgar…" Sephiroth mused. "President Shinra nothing short of demands I keep my hair like this. He says the public… more likely the women… like it."

"Yeah. The day the General Sephiroth loses his prized silver mane is the day that Shinra loses all of its power." Zack laughed.

"Zack." Sephiroth warned.

"Oh. Sorry." Zack said, sobering up instantly.

They found their way to the reactor's main research room, which was present in every reactor outside of Midgar. The room was full of large pods that seemed to contain a large amount of Mako.

Sephiroth moved over to one of the pods, and studied the glowing green liquid that was leaking out. "Here is the problem. This section is broken." Sephiroth said. "Zack, turn off that valve over there." Zack quickly did as he was told. "That will shut off the Mako to this pod and give us time to repair the damage." He paused. "Why did it break?" Next, he glanced through the window on the front. "Disturbing." He commented. "This is definitely Hojo's work."

"What?" Zack asked, moving towards Sephiroth. The General glanced at Zack, and then stood back and invited the younger man to look. The younger SOLDIER moved over to the window and glanced inside. Suspended in the glowing Mako was some kind of monster… faintly humanoid, but not human. Zack jumped back with a small cry of surprise. He looked at Sephiroth. "What is this?"

Sephiroth sighed. "You regular SOLDIERs are humans that have been infused with Mako energy. You are enhanced, but you are still human. But then… what are these things? They've been exposed to much more Mako than you have."

"So… they're monsters?" Zack asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "Creatures that have been exposed to too much Mako energy… and has gone insane… that's all that monsters really are."

"You said… 'regular SOLDIERs'." Zack said. "What about you?"

But Zack apparently struck a nerve that he wasn't even aware existed. Sephiroth staggered as if he had been shot. Zack instantly leapt forward to help his friend. "N—no!" Sephiroth gasped, shoving Zack away. "Could it be? Was I created the same way?" He paused. "I've known ever since I was young… I wasn't like the rest…" He glared back at the monster in the pod. "But this is NOT what I meant! Am I… a human being?"

"So, Sephiroth, you finally see the truth?" A familiar voice asked. Both Zack and Sephiroth looked around, shocked. Genesis landed close by, his one black wing folding against his back.

"Genesis!" Zack yelled, drawing the Buster Sword and rushing at the SOLDIER traitor.

Genesis simply unfurled his wing and knocked Zack away with the surprisingly strong appendage. Zack hit the wall, smashing the back of his head pretty good and forcing all the strength out of his limbs. He couldn't move, let alone fight Genesis. The ex-SOLDIER scoffed. "Letting riff-raff into SOLDIER First-Class these days."

Sephiroth glared at his one-time friend. "What do you want, Genesis?"

Genesis simply smiled, and began to recite from his favorite work, the epic poem, LOVELESS. "_My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?_"

Sephiroth interrupted him. "LOVELESS, Act III. You never changed, Genesis."

"You jest, Sephiroth." It was true, in terms of how Genesis looked. He was but a shadow of the man he used to be. Once, his handsome looks and skill in battle had rivaled Sephiroth. But no more. Due to the failure of an experiment by the mad scientist Hollander, his body was slowly degrading. His once red hair had streaks of gray and patches of his skin looked like too-dry ground. "Why I have come, Sephiroth, is to shed some light on the situation… dear friend." Genesis held up a dumbapple. "Any friend would do no less."

"You are no friend of mine, Genesis." Sephiroth said. "You betrayed SOLDIER and Shinra."

"But never you." Genesis said. "Yes, I did part ways with Shinra… because I discovered the truth… the truth of the Jenova project."

"Jenova? My mother?" Sephiroth asked.

Genesis laughed. "Poor little Sephiroth. You've never known your mother. You've only been told her name, no?" He used his wing to point up at the door at the top of the room. A legend above the door clearly read 'JENOVA'.

"Mother?" Sephiroth gasped.

"Jenova's right behind that door. But who knows how you will be affected by meeting her." Genesis said. "I don't know what sort of image you've conjured in your head about your mother, but the hard truth is… Jenova was the name Professor Gast and his team game to an organism they excavated from a two-thousand year old rock layer. She's a monster. And you, Sephiroth, are as much a monster as I am."

"Seph!" Zack gasped, still trying to get up, but the hit still kept him down. "You are not a monster!" Sephiroth continued to stare longingly at the door marked 'JENOVA'.

"You are a monster." Genesis repeated. "In fact, the greatest monster created by the Jenova project." Genesis grinned. "Your traits cannot be copied onto others like myself and Angeal. Your cells are stable, and therefore, your body will not degrade."

"Why did you come here, Genesis?" Sephiroth demanded.

Genesis lifted the dumbapple into the air, staring fondly at it. "_My friend,_ _your desire; is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess_." More LOVELESS. "The Gift of the Goddess, Sephiroth. A gift of pure S cells will stop the degradation process. Share your cells with me, Sephiroth, and my degradation will cease."

Sephiroth stared at him. "Even if what you say… are lies created to deceive me… or the truth… which I have sought my entire life… it makes no difference." Sephiroth glared at Genesis. "Genesis… you will rot." With that, Sephiroth stormed out.

"Perfect monster indeed." Genesis said. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises… nothing shall forestall my return." He spread his one black wing and disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

Zack carefully picked himself up and used a Curaga materia. Once he was cleaned up, he took off out of the reactor after Sephiroth. He made it out of the reactor easily. Sephiroth was nowhere in sight, but what he saw made the young man curse himself for a fool.

Genesis was in Nibelheim, and that meant that his copies were never that far behind. Tifa was getting assaulted by one of the higher-ranking Genesis copies. Cloud was laying on the ground near-by; the front of his uniform was torn open and stained with his own blood.

Zack quickly drew the Buster Sword and rushed down the steps. When he was almost at the Copy, Zack leapt into the air, the enormous sword held high, and he brought it down on the unsuspecting copy, cleaving it in two down the middle.

Before Zack could even properly recover, Tifa was rushing towards the fallen Cloud. She knelt down beside him, staring at his wound helplessly. "He was trying to protect me from that… thing." She explained.

Zack rushed over and examined the wound. The actual cut wasn't life-threatening; Cloud was in real danger from blood-loss. What small portion he could see of Cloud's face was deathly pale. Zack quickly cast another Curaga spell on Cloud. "He'll be fine." He assured Tifa. "But it will take some time for him to be top-notch again. Help him along, and I'll clear the path ahead."

Tifa nodded, and helped Cloud to his feet. She had one of his arms around her neck, and she wrapped her left arm around his waist, supporting him rather effectively.

Zack nodded and took the lead, heeding Tifa's calls about the proper direction.

Once they were back in Nibelheim, many of the locals swarmed Zack, asking what had happened. They had heard the commotion up on the mountain. Zack sent Tifa to take Cloud to Room Four of the inn, and the deflected the villager's questions with his own. "Has anyone seen General Sephiroth?"

But no one had seen him; even Sephiroth's Nibelheim camera-wielding stalker didn't have a clue about Sephiroth's whereabouts.

With a defeated sigh, Zack retreated to the inn. There, he immediately ran into Tifa. "That infantryman is in bed." She said.

"Good. Rest is the best thing for him now." Zack said, absentmindedly.

"Hey. Are there any blonde guys in SOLDIER?" Tifa asked suddenly.

"What?" Zack asked.

"Blonde guys." Tifa repeated, going a little red. "Isn't it any girl's dream to have a blonde SOLDIER to protect her?"

_Tell that to Aerith. She's more into black-haired SOLDIERs._ Zack thought to himself with a small grin. He knew now that Tifa was asking about Cloud.

"A fair few." Zack said truthfully. "Blonde's a pretty common color, you know." He smiled broadly. "Tell you what, I'll tell the blonde SOLDIER guys to look you up."

Tifa blushed some more. "Oh… you don't have to do that. I'll find my own blonde SOLDIER."

"Whatever you want, Tifa. Hey, can you keep an eye out for the General?" Zack asked. "We seem to have gotten separated."

"Sure. I'll tell you as soon as we have some news." She ran out.

Zack went upstairs to Cloud's room to check on him. The young blonde was sitting up now, inspecting the damage to his uniform with a sour look. Zack knew why. SOLDIERs were supplied their uniforms, but for an infantryman like Cloud, the ruined uniform would likely come out of his pay.

"Hey, you okay, buddy?" Zack asked.

Cloud looked around. "Yeah. I'm fine. The stupid copy got the jump on me. Is Tifa all right?" Cloud gasped, panic finding its way into his voice.

"Whoa! Don't worry. Tifa's fine. Right now, Sephiroth's the one I'm worried about." Zack said.

Cloud looked away. "What happened… in the reactor?"

Zack sighed. "I don't know, man. One minute, everything's fine, and then the next…" Zack stood up. "I'm with SOLDIER, so fighting's all I do. Sorting things out… is someone else's job. What's going on? Who's the enemy? IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO ME!" Zack growled with rage and raised the Buster Sword above his head like he was going to bringing it down on an innocent table and slice it in half. But he stopped himself, took a deep breath, and pressed his forehead against the cold metal. As always, it had a calming effect on him.

"You know…" Cloud began. "I've never seen you use that."

Zack's eyes opened in shock. His mind traveled back two years ago when he had asked his mentor, Angeal, the same exact question about the same exact sword…

* * *

_A younger, Second-Class Zack watched his mentor for the signal to begin the operation that would finally bring an end to the war with Wutai. "Hey, Angeal, I've never actually seen you use that thing. Doncha think that's a waste?"_

_Angeal laughed slightly. "Use brings about wear… tear… and rust. And that's a real waste."_

_And then later, during the same operation, after Angeal had used that blade to save Zack's life… Zack grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry if your sword got any wear, tear, or rust on it."_

_Angeal sheathed the mighty blade. "You're a little more important than my sword… but just a little."_

* * *

"Zack?" Cloud's voice returned the SOLDIER back to the present.

Zack grinned at Cloud and held the sword out in front of him. "This sword… represents my dreams and honor." He paused. "No. It means more than that… that's right. I had almost forgotten. Thank you, Cloud."

"What?" Cloud asked, but Zack didn't answer him. "So… about what happened in the Reactor…"

"Well, I'm beat. Good-night, Cloud." Zack interrupted, walking out the door and leaving Cloud stunned, mid-question.

* * *

**LES: Hopefully, this is an okay balance between the two games. Final Fantasy VII is an amazing game, and Crisis Core is an amazing game. It's finding the middle ground that's making this fun!**


	3. One Week

**Chapter III: One Week**

The next day, Zack carefully explained what had happened in the reactor. But Cloud didn't understand Sephiroth's reaction to Genesis' words any more than Zack did.

"It didn't help that Genesis kept quoting that stupid LOVELESS poem." Zack said.

"I saw LOVELESS once." Cloud commented. "It wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself. I've never seen it. Sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me." Zack said.

Cloud laughed. "Well, kinda."

"So, you doing better?" Zack asked. "That copy really did a number on you."

"I'm fine." Cloud said.

"Well, you should take it easy for a while. Don't worry. I'll take care of things."

"Well… since you are the Commanding officer in Sephiroth's absence, I'll have to say… yes, sir." Cloud said.

"Today, I'll look for Sephiroth." Zack said. "He can take care of himself, but still… I'm worried about him." Zack sheathed the Buster Sword and walked out of the room, leaving Cloud to recover.

At the front door of the inn, he ran into Tifa. "Zack, there you are, I've been waiting for you. Some people said that they saw the General enter Shinra Manor late last night."

"The Shinra Manor?" Zack asked.

Tifa pointed out an old, run down manor at the edge of town. "Shinra owns it, but they almost never use it. The President stays there when he visits Nibelheim, but he hasn't been here in years."

"The President doesn't travel much now-a-days. He leaves that to his son." Zack said. "There's no need for you to go. I'll go alone."

Tifa scoffed. "You SOLDIERs are _so_ uptight!"

"Except for your dream blonde SOLDIER, right?" Zack asked.

"Um… right." Tifa said, blushing.

Zack left Tifa and began to walk towards the manor when his cell phone began to ring. He quickly retrieved it from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Grinning slightly, he moved behind the town's central well to get a small amount of privacy from Tifa. He answered the call. "Aerith." He said simply.

"Hi, Zack." Aerith's voice said over the phone. Even over the phone, her voice sounded beautiful. "How is your assignment going?"

"Um… pretty standard." Zack lied. There was no reason to worry Aerith about Sephiroth's odd behavior and Genesis' presence. "Listen, uh… now's not the best time. Can I call you later?"

"Sure." Aerith said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. I'll call you later." Zack said. _I love you_. He said it in his mind, but not out loud. He wasn't ready to say it out loud to Aerith. Sure, he had girlfriends before, and he had told other women that he loved them, but his relationship with Aerith was different.

Most of his previous girlfriends had lasted a few weeks after his proclamation of love before he realized that he hadn't truly meant it. This usually led to an embarrassing break-up conversation that usually included some form of the phrase 'I thought you loved me!'

He didn't want that sort of mistake with Aerith. Whether he loved her or not, he truly cared for her happiness. He wanted to be certain that he was in love with her before he said those three words. So he left the conversation at that.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." Aerith said as she hung up.

_She didn't say it either._ Zack thought to himself. _Well… she's a lot more innocent than I am, and will probably be even slower than coming around than my slow._

Once he put the phone away, he continued his way to the Shinra manor.

Little did he know that in the future, he would both regret and be grateful that he did not tell Aerith that he loved her that day.

* * *

In was obvious that no one had used the Shinra Manor in many years. The place was run down and desolate. Zack could only hope that if Shinra ever decided to use this Manor again, that they give the townspeople time to fix the place up.

He nearly fell through a dozen floorboards during his search. No monsters inhabited the place, but the manor itself seemed to be more dangerous than many monsters.

After searching the first floor to no avail, he moved to the second floor. A certain stretch of wall caught his eye in a small bedroom. It seemed just a tad out of place. Zack moved over and pressed his palm against the wall.

Almost instantly, the wall slide away, revealing a secret passage with stairs that spiraled down into the dark depths of the basement.

"A secret passage?" Zack asked himself. "For what purpose? Maybe Sephiroth is down there…" He glanced at the stairs with his natural night-vision. They looked safe enough. He carefully navigated the stairs, carefully skipping those that looked less-than-safe.

Once he reached the bottom, the path led under the house. The door at the end of the passage was slightly ajar, and a light shown through the crack. He could hear a voice inside the door. Zack moved closer and opened the door.

Inside, he saw Sephiroth. The SOLDIER General was pacing, reading from a large dust-covered volume.

"… an organism was discovered in suspended animation from a two thousand year old geostasis. Professor Gast and his team named the organism Jenova." He paused here. "Jenova verified as an Ancient. Jenova project approved."

Zack stepped into the room, which appeared to be a lab of some sort. "Sephiroth…?" Zack asked.

"Zack, I'd like to be alone." Sephiroth said, bowing his head so that his silver hair obscured his face.

"Are you all right, Seph?"

"I'll be fine." Sephiroth said. "As soon as I'm done here, I'll come straight to you. Then you'll see that I am fine."

"Okay, Sephiroth… take as long as you need." Zack said.

Sephiroth grinned slightly and nodded, going back to the text.

Zack quietly excused himself and began to head out of the Manor.

* * *

_And so Sephiroth stayed in the Manor… the lights in the basement never went out. He didn't eat or sleep, only read through countless old documents. I took up guard duty in the Manor, to keep the sudden rush of visitors from disturbing the General._

_As the days passed, I grew more and more concerned about him. I left food outside the basement door every day. But when I returned the next day with more food, the previous food was either untouched or devoured by rats._

_Sometimes, I could hear him mutter about Jenova, his mother, and the Cetra. But it doesn't make any more sense to me than Genesis' ramblings on LOVELESS._

_The good news is that Cloud has proven quite resilient. He had completely healed from his wound, and is now back to his normal self. Cloud shows a lot of promise. I have no idea how he can't get into SOLDIER. If it's about the tests, I __have made up my mind to tutor him myself once we get back to Midgar. With me helping him, he'll make SOLDIER in no time._

_Maybe then he'll be more confident around Tifa. He is yet to say a single word in her presence or remove his helmet._

_Cloud told me he visited his mother yesterday, and she promised not to breathe a word about his presence. I've seen her a few times, and she seems a nice, practical woman. It's easy to see where Cloud got his down-to-earth nature._

_Apparently, Cloud's mother had managed to embarrass him on the topic of women. She, like most mothers I guess, wanted to see her son settle down with a nice young country girl._

_Most mothers are like that. The last time I saw my mother before I left for Midgar, she had begged me to put off my move to Midgar until I had married some local girl. She didn't think I would be able to find a nice homely girl in Midgar._

_Heh. Mom's gonna freak after she meets Aerith and discovers that her great theory about Midgar women was wrong._

_Midgar…_

_Aerith…_

_I miss them both. But I have to stay here until Sephiroth emerges. At least I managed to fix the Mako Reactor's leak in his absence… _

_Then… one week after Sephiroth locked himself up in the basement of the Shinra Manor…_

* * *

Zack had dozed off on the bed in the small bedroom that contained the secret passage. He had been guarding the door for several hours now, but the unusual quiet from the basement caused him to slip into a light doze.

"Zack…" A voice breathed softly.

Zack stirred, as he was used to being subjected to sudden wake-up calls in the military. "Whozere?" He moaned, squinting his eyes against the light.

"It's true. Every word is true. I am a monster." The voice continued.

Zack now recognized the voice and sat up. "Sephiroth?" Sephiroth looked a mess. He really had gone a whole week without sleep, judging by the dark circles under his eyes.

"Genesis was right." Sephiroth said, sounding like he was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. "Every word. My mother… Jenova… the Cetra… I'm no better than the fiends I've destroyed my entire life."

"Sephiroth!" Zack said calmly, but firmly. "You are SOLDIER, and SOLDIER doesn't mean monster!"

"For one such as you, maybe… one who has been untouched by Jenova." Sephiroth said. Suddenly, a single pitch-black wing unfurled from his right shoulder.

Zack would have been completely shocked, but he had seen two other one-winged SOLDIER operatives in recent years. "You too, huh?" Zack asked.

"I am a monster, Zack." Sephiroth said, furling the wing back into his body. "Genesis and Angeal… they knew that they were monsters. Humans aren't meant to have wings."

Zack remembered something that Cissnei told him when he said that winged humans were monsters. "Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none." Zack said, repeating her words. "They don't symbolize monsters."

"Zack… friend… you don't know… you can't know how I feel." Sephiroth said. "Many humans dream of wings and flight, but winged humans are not natural. They disturb the balance of nature. What are monsters? Abominations spawned from Mako energy. And that's exactly what I've become."

"No, Seph!" Zack said. "You're wrong! You are human! Yes, I don't have a wing like that, but I've known you for years! The Sephiroth that I know is not a monster!"

"There is only one way to find out, isn't there?" Sephiroth said. "Is my mother a human… or some organism? Is the Jenova in the reactor my mother?"

"Seph, it doesn't matter who your mother is… you are who you are!" Zack said loudly.

"Out of my way, Zack." Sephiroth said. "After twenty-seven years of searching… I can finally meet my mother." Zack only stood by helplessly as Sephiroth rushed past him.

Zack stood frozen, remembering Genesis' words. 'Who knows how meeting your mother will affect you.'

"Oh Ancients! I've got to stop him!" Zack gasped, looking around for a short-cut. A window caught his eye. He rushed towards it and leapt out, shattering the fragile glass plane easily.

He hit the roof and quickly rushed to the place where he could drop down on the path that led to the Mako reactor.

He made it a second before Sephiroth did, and dropped down in front of the General. Sephiroth glared at him, surprised. "Zack!"

"I can't let you go." Zack sand. Some of the residents of Nibelheim began to gather, drawn to the commotion.

"SOLDIER First-Class Zack Fair!" Sephiroth yelled. "Stand aside!" His hand drifted down to the hilt of Masamune.

Zack noticed the movement and gazed at his friend imploringly. "Sephiroth… I was forced to kill Angeal. Don't make me do this."

"Stand aside!" Sephiroth repeated.

"No." Zack said, also gripping onto the hilt of the Buster Sword. "If I die… so be it. At least I tried to save you."

Sephiroth's mad eyes narrowed. "So… you've made your choice." Sephiroth suddenly drew the legendary blade Masamune and rushed at Zack with unholy speed.

Zack was barely able to draw the Buster Sword in time to block Sephiroth's first thrust. He had fought against Sephiroth before, but that was only in a light-hearted sparring match. This was serious… deathly serious.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Nibelheim residents staring openly at the drama. They appeared to be frozen in shock at the turn of events. But they were much too close considering that this was a fight between two of the best First-Class SOLDIERs in Shinra.

Zack slashed at Sephiroth with the Buster Sword, which forced the General back and gave Zack a little breathing room. "Run! Now!" He yelled at the gathering villagers. But, he forgot about Masamune's unearthly range. Zack cried out when Sephiroth landed a hit across his chest. Thankfully, it was little more than a scratch.

It seemed that seeing Sephiroth injure Zack made the villagers realize that this was no simple sparring match, but a serious confrontation. They rushed to the shelter of their homes.

Sephiroth leapt at Zack and they met in deadly combat. Several people watched through their window. Many of them had never seen SOLDIER in action, so they had never seen combat like this. It proved to them that SOLDIER First-Class were the best warriors on the planet.

It looked like they could fly; a single jump could effortlessly send them fifty feet through the air. They could barely follow Sephiroth and Zack's movement. All they could really see were the flashes of sparks every time their large blades met, which happened several times a second.

Despite how it appeared to the villagers of Nibelheim, Zack was having trouble keeping up with Sephiroth. The Buster Sword weighed a lot more than Masamune, and Sephiroth could wield that weapon at an unholy speed, even for SOLDIER First-Class.

Sephiroth managed to land several more hits during the course of the minute that they fought all over the town square of Nibelheim. They stopped in the middle of town square. Zack was bleeding from several wounds that were not life-threatening for a SOLDIER like him.

"Traitor!" Sephiroth hissed and held out his left hand at Zack. "Firaga!" Sephiroth roared.

Zack's eyes widened as three balls of flame rushed at him. He managed to dodge the attack just in time. The magic attack missed him and hit the front of the inn. The inn exploded in a fiery blast, catching near-by buildings on fire instantly.

People screamed in terror, and for good reason. Nibelheim was made mostly out of materials that were easily combustible. This meant that a single untended spark could easily destroy the whole town. And this was more than a single spark.

"Cloud!" Zack yelled, for his friend had been in the inn. But a second later, Cloud stumbled out of the front of the inn, covering his mouth against the smoke. His clothes were singed, but otherwise, he wasn't hurt.

Nibelheim was quickly going up in flames. Cloud's old house was on fire now. Zack saw someone run out, completely covered in flames.

"Mom!" Cloud yelled, rushing over to her. He tried valiantly to pat out the flames, but it did no good. His mother was already too badly burned for help. "Mom!" Cloud screamed again, pure sorrow in his voice.

Zack glared at Sephiroth, the flames seemed to make his eyes glow with a deadly light. Now he was really angry at Sephiroth. It was one thing to duel; it was another thing to put a whole town in danger with an unnecessary magic attack. "How dare you!" He growled. "You… you aren't the Sephiroth I once knew!"

"Zack… they are humans. Humans die. It is a fate that cannot be escaped." Sephiroth said simply. "They can't escape it… and neither will you!" Sephiroth rushed at Zack and caught him off-guard. Sephiroth's grip on Masamune told Zack that he was planning to stab him through the chest, but the Buster Sword remained uselessly at his side. Before Zack could even think about defending himself, someone took matters into their own hands and pushed him aside. "Zack!" It was Cloud. Instead of Masamune impaling Zack through the chest, the blade caught Cloud. Cloud cried out in pain as the blade invaded his chest.

Sephiroth froze in shock for a second, and then he grinned. "What do we have here? A budding hero?" Sephiroth used the Masamune to left Cloud up off the ground by his chest. "Do you want me to tell you about heroes, boy? They don't exist!"

Cloud grit his teeth against the pain. "My mom… my friends… my hometown…" He gasped. "How dare you take them from me!? I swear… I'll make you pay!" Zack could only watch in amazement as Cloud grabbed onto the blade that was stuck in his body and shoved the blade further into his body with a cry of pain and determination. Once his feet were on the ground, he used the sword to fling Sephiroth into the closest burning building. Cloud fell to his knees.

Zack pushed himself off the ground and rushed over to the injured blonde, and knelt down next to him. He tried to ignore the giant blade sticking out of his chest. "Cloud! You did it! A performance worthy of SOLDIER!"

"Zack…" Cloud gasped. "I…"

"Hey, don't worry! I bet it'll buff right out!" Zack said optimistically. He wasn't a doctor, but it did look pretty serious. It would take more than a Restore materia to set Cloud right.

"Zack!" Cloud gasped. "Tell Tifa I…"

"No, man! You'll tell her yourself!" Zack hissed at Cloud. Suddenly, he felt something like a bee sting on the back of his neck. Zack automatically reached back and found something there. He pulled at it and looked at the object. It was a dart. Wither the tip was poisoned or had some sort of sleep agent on it; it didn't really matter once it was in his blood stream. It was going to fall prey to what-ever-it-was.

He glared around and saw Professor Hojo and a SOLDIER Second-Class aiming the dart gun at him.

A second dart caught him in the chest. "You… you bastards…" Zack growled as his vision went dark and he collapsed next to Cloud's already unconscious body.

"Well… I do doubt that two darts were necessary." Hojo commented. "I designed that sleep agent to put even the toughest SOLDIER operatives into a deep sleep."

"I don't feel like taking chances." The Second-Class SOLDIER said. "You don't get into SOLDIER by taking chances."

"Indeed." Hojo said. "Quite an interesting display. Sephiroth certainly went to extremes." The Turks, backed up by Shinra Troops and SOLDIERs, began to get the fire under control. "Does the Manor still stand?" Hojo asked a nearby Turn, whose name was Tseng.

"Yes, sir." Tseng said. "The Manor stood just far enough from the town that the fire didn't affect it."

"Good, good." Hojo said. "Now… this one here…" He gestured towards Zack. "He is nearly as skilled as Sephiroth. He'll make a fine replacement. Take him down to the basement of the Manor. And this one here…" He pointed out Cloud while Zack was carried off in a stretcher. "This is the one who defeated Sephiroth? Interesting… very interesting! He'll make a fine new test subject! Take him with the other one."

"Sir!" The infantrymen saluted as they carefully removed the Masamune from Cloud's chest and took him after Zack.

One of the Second-Class SOLDIERs grabbed Masamune and lifted it up. "Oh yeah. Finders keepers." He glanced around, and then rushed off to hide Masamune where he could later retrieve it.

He moved up the mountain path to hide the blade. He never got far.

Suddenly, something kicked him from behind and he hit the ground hard and lost his grip on Masamune. It was Sephiroth who had kicked the SOLDIER. The General folded his wing against his back. "Masamune will not wield itself for one like you." He growled, picking up the blade, and feeling more complete with the weapon in his hands.

He glanced down at the burning Nibelheim, and watched as Hojo carried away Zack and Cloud to the Shinra Manor. Sephiroth swore under his breath.

Once he had gotten out of the situation, and had thought it out a little, Zack's words had made a lot of sense. He had just been too blind to see it. He had lost his mind for little reason and had tried to kill his own friend in a fit of madness!

"Zack… what have I done?" Sephiroth asked as he disappeared into the night.

* * *

**LES: Hopefully, this is an okay alternate version to the 'Burning of Nibelheim.' And I hope that I've got Sephiroth's wing right. In Advent Children, it looks like he has the wing on his right shoulder. But I guess I could be wrong.**


	4. Four Years Later

**Chapter IV: Four Years Later**

**LES: Yes, this is where things change from the original story. (Holds Masamune to self like a security blanket) I just love Sephy too much!!**

* * *

The next thing that Zack was aware of, he was suspended in a glowing green liquid. It reminded him of the Mako treatments that he had received when he first joined SOLDIER. But there was something different about this Mako… something unwholesome.

A blurry figure slowly materialized in Zack's vision. A man dressed as a First-Class SOLDIER, black slicked-back hair, and a large white wing that sprouted from his left shoulder blade. _Angeal?_ Zack thought to himself.

"You call yourself SOLDIER?" Angeal asked, glaring at him. "You are a disgrace to the name of SOLDIER." He turned his back on Zack and began to walk away.

"Angeal!" Zack yelled after him, pounding frantically on the glass of his container.

As he pounded on the glass, the real world faded away, and he slipped into the dream world that he had occupied since Nibelheim. _How long have I been here?_ Zack asked himself.

In his dream, he was standing on a clear surface, and he watched as a pure white feather fell past him, and hit the ground rippled, and he realized he was standing on water.

He gazed up into the empty sky, but he knew that Angeal was there. "Those wings…" He found himself saying. "I want them too…"

"Be careful what you wish for." A familiar voice floated through Zack's mind.

The dream world suddenly shattered violently and Zack opened his eyes in shock. Sephiroth appeared to be standing outside the pod, holding up Masamune, about to strike. "Zack…" Sephiroth whispered as he swung the massive blade. However, instead of slicing through Zack's body, he simply cut through the glass that contained him.

Zack was pulled with the rush of Mako out of the pod and Sephiroth caught him easily.

But Zack quickly shoved Sephiroth away and began to search for his Buster Sword, which appeared to nowhere in sight.

"Looking for this?" Sephiroth asked. Zack looked around and saw that he was holding the Buster Sword. "You were a real bastard to track down, you know."

"Why?" Zack demanded. "So you could finish what you started in Nibelheim?!"

Sephiroth slammed the Buster Sword, point down, into the ground and did the same to Masamune; and then he backed away from both. Zack stared at the strange of sight. "I… I regret Nibelheim, Zack." Sephiroth said. "Those documents I read opened up old wounds and I'm afraid I went mad with anger. No matter what Shinra did to me, you had nothing to do with it, nor your friend."

Zack glanced up. "Cloud? Is he…?"

"Behind you." Sephiroth said.

Zack looked ad his eyes fell on a second Mako-filled pod. Suspended inside was Cloud. "Cloud!" Zack gasped. He grabbed the Buster Sword and pulled it out of the ground. He used the massive blade to cut open the pod, Cloud fell out and Zack caught him. "Cloud!" But the blonde man gave no response. "Hey, Chocobo-Head!" Zack called, knowing that Cloud hated the name, and he would have responded if he were able to, but he didn't.

"He was exposed to too much Mako, all at once." Sephiroth said. "He developed a Mako addiction… a pretty bad case of it."

"What's going on?" Zack asked. "What has happened?"

Sephiroth sighed. "After Nibelheim, you were captured by Hojo for use in a new project. I don't know of this project, because I'm no longer welcome at Shinra. For four years…"

"Wha? Wait! Four years!" Zack gasped. "It's been four years?!"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes. Unfortunate, but true. I've tracked you for four years. It was very difficult. Every time I discovered your location they would move you. I've tracked you all over the world many times… not to fight you… but to apologize."

"Have you apologized to the people of Nibelheim?" Zack asked.

"They're dead." Sephiroth said. "Shinra killed those who happened to survive the fire."

"Shit! Why would they do that?" Zack asked.

"To cover up my madness. According to the company, we both died heroically in battle." Sephiroth said.

"Both of us?"

"You are officially dead, Zack Fair." Sephiroth said. "As am I. You know how the company deals with trouble-makers."

"What… what was done to me and Cloud?" Zack asked, confused.

Sephiroth held up a research journal. "This should answer some questions." Sephiroth opened it and began to read. "Well, it appears Hojo finally perfected his experiment for SOLDIERs. Hojo infused you with more Mako, Jenova cells, and some of my cells. This resulted in a mass-production monster that wouldn't degrade. Project Z… Project Zack."

"I'm… I'm a monster?" Zack asked. "No! I don't have a wing!"

"We'll see." Sephiroth said. "Now… Project C is marked as a failure. Since the subject was an infantryman, his cells did not have the desired reaction with Jenova cells or my cells. What resulted was a normal SOLDIER. Hmph! A SOLDIER with Mako addiction."

"It's because SOLDIER recruits are not exposed to a lot of Mako at once." Zack said. "It's a gradual process so that recruits do not experience side-effects more serious than Mako Frenzy."

"Speaking of Mako Frenzy, how do you feel?" Sephiroth asked. Zack glanced at him, confused. "You've come into contact with much more Mako over the past four years than you were ever exposed to in SOLDIER. You could have a Mako Frenzy all over again."

Zack examined his state-of-mind. He didn't feel like he remembered Mako Frenzy felt like. His head seemed to be in order. "I feel fine." Zack said. "A little shocked at all this maybe, but definitely not crazy."

"That is probably my cells at work." Sephiroth said. "I've never experienced Mako Frenzy, and I will not degrade like Genesis and Angeal… and neither will you, Zack."

"I'm not a monster, Sephiroth." Zack said. In response, Sephiroth held up a single white feather. "Angeal?" Zack asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "They never got a sample of Angeal. No, this sample was labeled with your name." Sephiroth let that sink in for several seconds. "You are so much like Angeal, Zack. Not just in your looks, but in your philosophy. Maybe someday we'll live long enough for you to lecture me about dreams and honor. Genesis and I have black wings…" For emphasis, he extended his one black wing. "But you hand Angeal have white wings. It seems that you have succeeded Angeal's spirit."

"I don't have a wing, Sephiroth." Zack repeated, a little less surely this time.

"Words uttered in denial in the face of truth." Sephiroth said. "Shall we move outside and have a repeat of four years ago, except switched sides?"

"Where are we?" Zack asked.

"Back in Nibelheim." Sephiroth said. "After Shinra destroyed it, they rebuilt it and populated it with people who will swear that Nibelheim was attacked by monsters four years ago, and that's how it was destroyed. I knew that they'd bring you back here eventually. Can we leave this place before we go any further? Every moment that I spend close to this reactor… it hangs on my mind like a poison."

"Okay… but I can't leave Cloud behind." Zack picked Cloud up, supporting him as Tifa had done years ago.

"He's not going to make it." Sephiroth said.

"The incident… Cloud nearly gave his life to save me." Zack said. "I'm not going to give up on him so easily."

"It will slow you down." Sephiroth said.

"Then go ahead and wait for me." Zack said. "Let's see… the closest towns are… Rocket Town…"

"Always crawling with Shinra." Sephiroth said. "Try again."

"North Corel… Cosmo Canyon…"

"Both of them carry grudges towards Shinra." Sephiroth said. "But neither will they welcome ex-SOLDIERs."

Zack sighed. "Gongaga."

Sephiroth also sighed, knowing that Gongaga was Zack's hometown. But… "Small, back-water village… furthest and least watched over Reactor on Gaia… Unlikely that Shinra will have much presence there. Very well, I'll wait for you in Gongaga." With that, Sephiroth took off in a flurry of black feathers.

_Well… if I do have a wing, travelling will be a lot easier. It won't help much when I've got Cloud to worry about, though._ Zack turned his attention to Cloud. "Don't worry, buddy. I won't abandon you." He grabbed the Buster Sword and began to slowly make his way out of the Shinra Manor's basement.

* * *

**LES: About the wings. I've tried to make sure that the wings are on the right side. But if you happen to know that I've got it wrong, please tell me so that I can change it. Being told that I'm wrong right away is less embarrassing than if the story is several chapters in and someone says "Oh, by the way, Angeal's wing comes out of his RIGHT shoulder, not his left one." Thank you in advance for helping me make this story so much better.**


	5. Those Left Behind

**LES: Wow… it's been forever since I've updated this story. (And it actually has been.) But, just in the last few days, I've developed the urge to update this story again, just to give you all hope. In fact, I'm planning on re-playing Final Fantasy VII to get back into the mood. And… Aerith is making her official début into this story! Well… better late than never.**

**Chapter V: Those Left Behind**

* * *

Elmyra sat at the table, watching her adopted daughter with concern. It had been four years, but she was yet to recover from the news that was brought to her flower-covered house by that kind-hearted Second Class SOLDIER all those years ago.

She knew what it was like to lose a loved one, and she did her best to comfort Aerith. But it was for naught. Aerith's normally bright and intelligent eyes were constantly shaded with an unspeakable sorrow. She didn't play with the Slum children anymore. She divided her time between being alone in her room, the old church, and selling flowers. Sometimes, the cycle was punctuated by a bout of letter-writing. Elmyra had lost track of the number of letters she had sent to that young man.

If only that SOLDIER, kind though he may be, had not delivered that news four years ago. Little did she know that Aerith's thoughts were also on that day.

Aerith remembered that day clearly, for it had been one of the worst days of her life; up there with the day that her mother had died.

* * *

Aerith had just gotten back from the church, dirty but really pleased. It was the time of the year for the most beautiful plant in her garden to begin to bloom. She had found the first blossom that very day.

_The first bloom is always the most beautiful._ Aerith thought to herself. Even though she doubted that Zack would appreciate it as much as she did, she was already planning to give him the blossom when he got back from his campaign. (Free of charge, of course.)

Aerith moved into the house of her mother, and froze at what she saw.

Sitting at the table with her mother was a SOLDIER, Second Class. He was in full uniform, helmet included.

"Mom? What's going on?" Aerith asked.

Her mother sighed, and the SOLDIER stood up and removed his helmet. "You're Aerith?" He asked, and the young woman nodded, setting down her garden supplies. "I am Kelsel, SOLDIER Second Class, and… a friend of Zack's."

"Zack?" Aerith asked. "Have you heard from him at all? I haven't heard from him in days, and when I call, it says that the line was disconnected…"

"I have… some news…" Kelsel sighed. "The Ancients have cursed me with this job, but I think you should know from someone who knew Zack rather than the media." Aerith noticed that his eyes were red, like he had spent the last few hours in tears.

"What happened?" Aerith asked, horrified to know the answer.

"Zack… was killed in action." Aerith gasped in horror. "General Sephiroth too. 'Killed in honorable battle', or so says the President." Kelsel sighed again. "I'm so sorry to tell you this. Zack was my friend… hell… he was a friend to every SOLDIER and infantryman out there. And I know how much he cared about you." He noticed that she was on the verge of tears, but was holding back. "Go ahead and cry." He said. "I'm SOLDIER, and I still cried."

Aerith burst into passionate tears and buried her face in her hands, barely managing to stay on her feet. "Zack!" She cried out with fresh and horrible pain.

"Aerith…" Elmyra tried to comfort her daughter, but it was much too early for comfort.

"I never even told him that I… I loved him!" Aerith cried.

Kelsel moved forward and pulled the woman who he believed was a kindred spirit into an embrace. "I'm sure that he knew." The SOLDIER said.

"He can't be gone!" Aerith cried into Kelsel's shoulder. "He just _can't_!"

Denial. The first stage of the grieving process. Followed by anger, acceptance, and then healing. All grieving had those four steps. The only difference is that some of the steps lasted longer for each individual person.

Kelsel's denial lasted only a few hours, and then went straight into anger. He was angry at Shinra, for sending Zack on the doomed mission to the Mako Reactor. Angry at himself, for somehow being unable to convince Zack not to go. Angry at the Gods, for taking away just a loyal friend during the prime of his life.

Aerith's pain was a hundred times worse than his. She had been in love with Zack. Kelsel loved Zack like a brother, but Aerith was _in love_ with him. Slowly, he pulled away. "I'm sorry. If you ever want to talk about Zack…" He borrowed a pen and paper, and wrote down some numbers. "Call me anytime."

Aerith let out a small sob. "Okay."

Kelsel nodded, and then put back on his helmet and left.

The older woman glanced worriedly at her adopted daughter. "Aerith… I'm so sorry about Zack…" She said.

"Mom… I just… need to be alone for a while." Aerith said, her spirit broken, as she began to go to her room. Once the upstairs door was shut, she could hear Aerith sobbing loudly.

She sighed. She knew that there was nothing to do but wait for Aerith to recover from Zack's death in her own time. Rushing her recovery would not help in the slightest.

After her own husband had died, she had cried constantly for days, and cried herself to sleep every night for months. Even now, years later, she still often felt the urge to cry for his loss.

Aerith may not have been married to Zack, but she had an innocent and pure love for him. She loved him for who he was, through and through.

"Take as long as you need, dear." Elmyra said softly.

* * *

Little did Elmyra know then, that four years later, Aerith would still be in the denial process. Aerith was still trying to convince herself that Zack was not dead by continuing to write him letters.

* * *

The day after Kelsel's visit, President Shinra had personally announced to the public the deaths of SOLDIER General Sephiroth and SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair. The deaths of the two infantrymen who accompanied them on their mission was an after note.

Hearing the President calmly announce the death of her first true love was a fresh wound to Aerith's heart, and she cried more that day.

Most people mourned for the loss of General Sephiroth, but Zack was only mourned by people who knew what an extraordinary person he was. No one seemed to care about the dead infantrymen, so Aerith mourned for them too. Everyone deserved mourners, and she had more than enough grief to spare.

The day after was the public funeral for the four who lost their lives. Aerith had attended, dressed not in her usual cheerful white and pink, but black. She did still wear the ribbon that Zack bought for her.

_"In honor of our first date."_ He had laughed as he bought it for her in the Slum's marketplace.

She watched, tears running down her face, as the President himself awarded all four of them posthumous Metals of Honor and Bravery. _So, Zack, you've achieved your dream._ Aerith thought. _You've become a hero… but you had to die to achieve it._

Next, several Shinra suits and SOLDIERS spoke about the good qualities of Sephiroth, Zack, and the two infantrymen.

Sephiroth… how he was strong and loyal… and intelligent and great General who had not lost one SOLDIER under his command during his long career in Shinra.

Zack… his bravery and sense of honor. He had an inspiration to lower-ranking SOLDIERs. The speaker, probably Kelsel, recalled Zack's words of advice to every new recruit: "Embrace your dreams, and, whatever happens, protect your SOLDIER honor."

Next, a small amount of time was given to the two infantrymen. She recognized the name of one: Cloud Strife. Zack had told her about him. He was a friend of Zack's who desperately wanted to join the SOLDIER program. Zack described him as a young blonde with spiky hair that resembled the rear end of a Chocobo, thus earning him the nickname: 'Chocobo Head'.

_So many dreams shattered and lost… and for what?_ Aerith thought to herself.

Apparently, they had been in Nibelheim, and an army of monsters had attacked. Sephiroth, Zack, and the two infantrymen fought against the monsters, but they had been cut down by overwhelming odds. Nibelheim had been burned to the ground. All for nothing.

The next day was the private funeral, which Kelsel had invited her to, but she did not attend. Her heart could not bear it.

She had barely been able to handle the weeks of discussion of what went wrong in what would be known as the Nibelheim Incident.

The same question was on everyone's mind. "How could a bunch of monsters overpower two First Class SOLDIERs, one of which was the greatest warrior alive?"

No one could figure out how it was possible.

* * *

A number of times Aerith had considered going to Gongaga to visit Zack's parents. But she had never worked up the courage. She didn't have the courage to face the vast blue sky without Zack at her side, and she didn't have the courage to meet his parents.

What could she possibly say to them? 'Hi, I'm Aerith. I'm a friend of Zack's from Midgar. I'm really sorry about your loss.' She didn't know them at all.

So she suffered and mourned alone, except for her adopted mother.

She closed her eyes and tried to listen to the voice of the planet, to see if she could find Zack's voice in the lifestream. But in four years, she hadn't found him. Of course, she had to consider the large number of souls floating around in the lifestream, but her powers were slipping away. She could not hear the planet so well in her grief.

All her life, she had been able to hear the soft, comforting voice of the planet. But now it was gone, and so was Zack.

"Where are you, Zack? Is something wrong? Were you not able to get back to the planet?" She asked hopelessly as more tears ran down her face.

Only the flowers in the church gave her some comfort. She sold every flower to Zack's memory and, once a year, on the day the most beautiful flower first bloomed, she would cut off the bloom and visit Zack's grave… his empty grave. She would kneel in front of his gravestone and slowly traced the letters of his name and military rank with her index finger.

"Zack…" She breathed. "I should have told you before… I love you." She laid the flower on his grave and gently sobbed. Four years later, and the pain of Zack's passing was still as fresh as the day Kelsel had told her of his death.

Little did she realize that she was being watched, by a man standing at his own grave.

Sephiroth had taken a quick pit-stop in Midgar before he headed to meet Zack in Gongaga, just to stand here… at his grave. Standing at one's own grave was surprisingly good at clearing one's mind, as it had cleared him of Jenova's madness that had plagued him four years ago in Nibelheim. He was hooded and cloaked so that no one would recognize him. All that could be seen of his face was the Mako glow of his eyes.

He watched Aerith's vigil at Zack's grave and realized that this must be the young woman that Zack always talked about.

Now Sephiroth was really in a dilemma. Dare he tell her that Zack was alive and well? Did Zack even want to reveal himself to her? If he was a monster, he would have to come to terms with himself before he was reunited with his old flame.

Sephiroth sighed and moved over to her. "You miss him?" He asked.

Aerith jumped slightly and turned around. "Who… who are you?"

"A friend of Zack's." Sephiroth said simply. "Are you Aerith?"

"How do you know that?" Aerith asked, a little nervous at his appearance.

"I am not going to hurt you." Sephiroth said. "Zack spoke of you a lot. Aerith: the most beautiful girl in Midgar."

"He… he said that about me? Really?" Aerith asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "He really cared about you, you know." He paused. "I saw a different side of Zack after he met you. He became… less impulsive and reckless… like he was actively making sure he could always come back to Midgar safely."

"But this time, he didn't."

"He tried. But he was too compassionate for his own good. He gave up a lot to save a friend from his own madness."

Aerith looked confused at his statement, but didn't question it. "I'll never see him again."

"You'll see him again… I swear." Sephiroth said, walking away.

"Wait!" Aerith called after him, and Sephiroth stopped. "I don't know your name."

Sephiroth sighed. "Monsters have no names." He unfurled his wing and took to the air, headed now for Gongaga.

Aerith stared in shock as the winged man departed. Zack had told her of two winged men: his old mentor Angeal, and Genesis. But Angeal, Zack had told her, had a white wing, and this man's wing was black, like…

"Genesis?" She asked in shock. She couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

**LES: Okay, I hope that was good enough for now. Who am I to deny the promptings of fate? LOL!**


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